


Everybody Hates The Riddle

by somewhereoverthedeadbodies



Series: The Parting Glass [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Magic, Mystery, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:14:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28718667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somewhereoverthedeadbodies/pseuds/somewhereoverthedeadbodies
Summary: Riley, Ariana, and Lizzie. Three friends, bound by something much bigger than their destinies. They grow and make mistakes, solve mysteries and start revolutions. They are unwitting second years at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry where the forces of evil lurk. What will torment them, now that the-one-who-should-not-be-named doesn't exist?(This takes place in a modern timeline, between the 2010s to 2020s, despite canonically being in the 90s. This is because of my personal dislike of the canon and more of a whimsical fantasy about what it would be like if it were written now.)
Relationships: Blaise Zabini/Original Female Character(s), Cedric Diggory/Original Female Character(s), Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas
Series: The Parting Glass [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2105307
Kudos: 14





	1. Old and New

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Welcome to a thrilling ride into this insane storyline where I, the creator, have abandoned all hope and let the story take its course. At heart, it has been one filled with hope, a chance at escaping the boredom of everyday life getting to me. This was originally conceived as a roleplay idea and then furthered into a story. I hope you enjoy this as much as i did :D

“What’s that book?” Riley raised her eyebrows inquisitively at the girl sitting in the crook of the trunk of the tree, nose deep in a well-worn book, which seemed one from not around here. She smiled a bit, hoping the girl with round brown glasses did not mind. Her dark circles were showing and for a moment, she was concerned that she might faint.

“Native Tongue. Muggle literature.” She shrugged, not looking up.

The corridor was cold this time of year, and Riley tried to engage in conversation, despite the girl's visible disinterest.

“You’re Elizabeth Lockwood, aren’t you?” she attempted to induce familiarity, “I’ve seen you at the dorm, and uh, I’m new here… and you know”

“Mm. You’re the new student.” Her nose crinkled, her features showed a subtle change, “I suppose if you are going to talk, I can keep this aside. Do you have anything to say?”

“Well, I thought I could join you, fellow Ravenclaw, and all.” Riley rubbed her neck, “everyone takes houses too seriously here.”

“And you don’t?”

Riley shifted in her seat, biting her lip, she finally spoke, “I think I’d rather not.”

She glanced around the courtyard and let out a sigh. Her plan to make new friends was failing quite miserably. She wrapped her arms around herself, pouting in the cold, pondering on what to talk about next. Clearly, she had nothing. Another quick look around gave her the next big idea.

“D’you wanna have some fun?” Riley poked at Lockwood.

“Not exactly,” she sighed, “but what do you have in mind?”

Riley smirked and pointed at the small figure crying in the corner. The boy crashed to the ground, getting dirt all over his shabby, black, and yellow robes. She looked on at the boy and his bully, a pale-haired, smug boy, shouting and taunting him. She had faced her share of heartless bullies in elementary school, and she would be damned before she let the blond make the sad boy cry anymore.

“You want to… stop Malfoy? Draco Malfoy?” Lockwood raised her eyebrows, “you’re definitely crazier than the rumors give you credit for.”

“Did someone say something about Malfoy?” A sharp voice interrupted their conversation. Riley turned around to see a plump and tan girl, with her arms crossed and her eyes raised. “Oh, I’m Ariana. Ariana Mills. I hate that smug jerk anyway. It would be fun to take his attitude down by a notch.”

“Alright then—” Riley picked an egg out of her pocket. She looked curiously at the pale blond boy hanging around in the shade of the trees. She smirked at the thought of what was about to happen.

Silently, she raised her fingers. A complex twist of her hands and the egg floated by itself, flying straight towards Malfoy’s head. The poor boy could not have seen the egg coming, but the boy he was bullying saw it—his eyes widening as he stepped away from its trajectory.

“Ah! —” Malfoy screamed. The egg had hit the back of his head and splattered all over his robes. “you—you worthless mud-bloods, my father will hear about this!” he stormed off, looking for the culprits.

A roll of laughter followed his departure. Riley smirked, loosening her shoulders. She shifted her gaze from the scene to Lizzie. _Boy does this girl ever relax,_ she thought to herself, looking at her acquaintance’s face all scrunched up. She flitted her eyes to Ariana who chuckled, hiding her nervousness.

“Should we run?” Ariana took off, “I think we should run! Follow me!”

Lizzie huffed and took a deep breath. She raised an eyebrow at Riley, nodding. She frowned before turning around and following Ariana’s lead. Riley shook her head, deciding this might be her chance to get to know two people at least, and ran after them. They ran across the courtyard into one of the hallways.

“Whoa! Watch where you’re going!” a tall, dark-haired boy stumbled into Ariana, glaring before he regained his composure, “You look like in a hurry, where are you off to?”

“That’s none of your business, is it?” Ariana glared back. Lizzie’s eyes widened in shock and realization, and Riley’s brows creased.

“Well, considering that you ran into me, and,” he continued in a matter-of-fact voice, “I could report you to the head of your house for the incident with the poor Slytherin.”

Ariana’s eyes went wide. “You couldn’t possibly know that!” she cried out, a little too loud.

“well, I didn’t until you practically confessed to it right now,” he smirked, “so, miss Gryffindor, let me ask you again, where are you off to?”  
“We were just—”

“We were just leaving, right Lockwood?” Riley cut in, tugging at Ariana’s robes.

“Ah, that’s sad. But I hope to see you around.” He smiled and walked away.

“Do you even know who that was, Mills?” Lizzie almost shouted, her face flush, “It’s Cedric Diggory. One of the best Hufflepuffs. And our senior. _You_ should keep your tongue in check next time you run into another one of them.”

“He can’t just come here and talk to me like that,” Ariana said, “just because he has a pretty face.”

“Oh! Now I get it,” Riley almost rolled in laughter, “you’re into him, aren’t you? Little ‘miss Gryffindor’ is into the big bold Hufflepuff” she had tears in her eyes, and her stomach hurt from laughing.

“N-no!” Ariana crossed her arms in defiance, “No I’m not! I just think he’s way in over his head with his looks and what-not”

  
“If you two are quite done,” Lizzie interrupted, “We should get going before another incident takes place."  
  



	2. And The Disobedient Broom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flying classes are always fun. Or are they just the right amount of terrifying? While two of our gang are adept fliers, one of them has some problems. This ends in, well, a very eventful lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nothing I say here can sum up how much I enjoy writing this, although I'm really irregular. I hope I could do justice to the three friends and a reminder that they have my heart. <3

At noon, Riley rushed down the stairs to the grounds, Lizzie following behind her, breathless. They were late to flying class. Their trip to the library strengthened their bond but did them no favors when they were running late. The sky above was warm, a good day for flying. Running onto the field, with their robes flowing behind them, they joined the class, barely making it before breaking into pants.

“Where were you two!” Ariana jumped in front of them, brows furrowed, frowning.

Riley smiled awkwardly, rubbing her arm, avoiding her friend’s eyes, “We were in the library, reading up on mermaids. I, uh, wagered that the merfolk can’t look how they describe them in the books, and we lost track of time,” she shot Ariana an apologetic glance, tugging at Lizzie’s sleeve, “we haven’t found any concrete evidence but I think we might be onto something.”

“Only you two can almost miss flying class to study,” Ariana shook her head, rubbing her temple, “now do me a favor and please get in place, really.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Lizzie grumbled, shifting between her feet, not meeting either of their gazes, “or I could wait in the side-lines. I don’t think professor Hooch would mind.”

Ariana glared at Lizzie before pulling her into the line beside her broom. Riley followed her, joining her friends. She was confident in her ability to fly, she could boast to be one of the best of their year, despite Potter’s skills and Malfoy’s, well, Malfoyness. At least it wasn’t potions, she thanked her lucky stars. If Snape found another way to deduct points from her house, she might just murder him. Controlling her powers, not letting Lizzie and Ariana find out, and passing as an ordinary witch, all added to her stress.

“Alright, second years,” Professor Hooch raised her voice, “gather around. As most of you have shown promise in your abilities, I’m confident we can take this to the next level. Today, we will learn how to make fast laps on a broom.”

Riley mounted her broom, slowly kicking off the ground and letting her weight rise into the air. She shivered a little, not wearing socks under those sneakers had been a careless mistake. Effortlessly, she weaved her broom into a wide circle around the fields. She looked over to her left. Barely had she moved to the right, she heard Lizzie's scream. “Out of the way!”

“Whoa!” Riley used all her strength to dodge Lizzie, almost toppling over. Gripping her broom tight, she neared her— “you alright over there?”

“Do I look alright to you!” Lizzie screamed, her voice dripping with fear and exasperation. Riley approached her, cautiously at first, before steadying her broom with her free hand.

“Easy, easy,” Riley whispered, taking deep breaths for Lizzie to follow. She remembered doing this once when she woke up after a nightmare, in her mother’s arms, gasping for breaths. Slowly, as Lizzie’s breathing calmed, she took her hand and helped her gently on to the air. “There you go, easy does it—” she smiled and guided Lizzie smoothly through the field, Ariana helping them from behind.

“So, you’re a nervous flyer,” Ariana scratched her neck, “big deal.” She shrugged and helped Lizzie off her broom.

A broom swooped in out of nowhere, making her jump out of the way. Riley snapped her neck and clenched her fists on the sight. Malfoy was sitting up, snickering, making Riley wish she could punch his smug face into the dirt. So much for a normal class, she thought and tugged at her friends’ robes. She had no intention of starting another fight in class, no matter how much she wanted to show him his place. She flipped her hair out of the way, raised her eyebrows to Lizzie, and held Ariana’s hand to drag her out of his way.

They waited until the class ended to sneak through the back. Riley led the way, very uncertain of her sense of direction but a casual smirk on her face. Ariana and Lizzie exchanged glances, curious about their destination. They played the conversation from last night’s supper in their heads over and over again.

_“Things have been pretty crazy here,” Riley stuffed her face with a pie, stray pieces of food flying out of her mouth as she spoke, “and I was thinking—”_

_“Do you mind finishing that first?” Ariana frowned, “we’re not going anywhere, but that pie certainly is.”_

_Riley shot her a look but closed her mouth to swallow the food. She was excited, and the girls sitting opposite to her could swear it was going to end in a disaster._

_“I’d have chewed it before swallowing, but I guess that’s another way to go.” Lizzie rubbed her forehead, shaking her head._

_“Okay, so,” Riley ignored the jabs and continued with double the excitement, “I was just going about my own business, looking for a peaceful place to study in—”_

_“Play hooky in”_

_“Will you two let me finish?” she groaned. “Okay, so, I found the coolest room ever. It’s detached from the rest of the castle, up in the watchtower. And I don’t think anyone’s been in there for years. And considering we need a place to hang out in, y’all wanna check it out with me?”_

And here they were, following Riley up the winding stairs, with no clue what to expect. With a series of lefts and rights, they ended up in front of an unremarkable room. Riley opened the door, leading them in.

It was a small room, packed with dust. The walls were white, scarily so. No furniture sat there, leaving the room looking absolutely bare. Yet, it was a nice break from the stuffy furniture in the common rooms.

“A little bit of décor, and we can make this work,” Riley spoke after a long silence, “right?”

“Right.” Her friends replied in unison.


	3. Places We Won't Walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariana bumps into, well... almost collides into Cedric. And as almost everyone can guess, it ends in a way neither of them expected. Meanwhile, Riley has a surprise visitor.

“Hey, miss Gryffindor,” Cedric called out to Ariana, who decided it was a rather indulgent mistake to stop for the dark-haired senior, and took a beeline towards the stairs. She had ninety-nine problems and she wasn’t gonna make him one more of it. She sped up, praying to the gods to make him stumble on a banana peel, slip, and fall, and not come after her.

“Going somewhere?” Cedric caught up to her, breathless. “You aren’t trying to avoid me, are you, Gryffindor?

“and why would I do that, mister?” Ariana forced a smile, staring pointedly at his lips. How did he have these perfect lips, and why was his teeth so white, and—

“Earth to Mills,” Cedric chuckled, “you look like you saw an alien.”

“Yeah, I did,” she crossed her arms and huffed, “and he’s standing right in front of me.”

“Oh? Where? We could be rich selling their photos!” Cedric teased.

Ariana took a deep breath. She could feel the anger bubbling out of her almost like a can of soda. She missed soda the most, she decided and faked another smile, “never mind that. Do you have something to say?” “Well, I was thinking—”

“Oh, so that pretty face can do thinking too?”

“You know that’s a veiled compliment, right?”

“yeah? So? Half the school thinks your pretty and it’s  obviously  gone to your head, so why shouldn’t I?”

“Before you start leaking steam from all this pent up rage through your ears and nose, could you give me a chance to finish ?” he shrugged and shuffled his feet.

“Sure. But I can smack you if you make dumb suggestions”

“Well, I  just  thought we could catch up after quidditch practice tomorrow,” he scratched his ear  sheepishly, “get to know each other better,  maybe  talk about quidditch and your  obviously  good taste in insults  .” He winked and ran up the stairs without waiting for a reply.

Ariana wasn’t one of those girls to notice how radiant the sun looked in its fading hours and she couldn’t possibly care.  She would’ve preferred to be inside with Riley right now, she decided, planning their next big prank, and not waiting out near the stands.  She searched for Cedric, tapping her foot on the ground fast enough to let everyone in her general vicinity that she was not in the mood to be messed with.  She couldn’t believe herself, not really, when she decided to walk up to the fields after class ended, knowing all too well that this was not going to end well.

“Well, hello there.”

“Took you long enough,” Ariana grumbled, trying hard to not stare too long. Of course, he looked ridiculously good with his hair ruffled up, “So, I’m here and you’re here. What did you want to do, again?”

“Ah, I thought we could sit out here, until curfew, that is,” He sounded expectant, leading her near the great lake, taking a seat on a rock, and patted the rock next to him. “The stars are prettier here.”

“Oh? And why have you asked me to tag along in this quest of yours to stargaze? Could’ve  just  stayed on the castle grounds and be popular—”

“Okay, let’s get a few things straight since you have this weird idea about me and never bothered to check twice. I am, in fact, not that popular. Sure, people think I’m a good guy, and believe me, I am.  But I’ve earned my place in the quidditch team and I’ve worked hard enough on my grades, so whatever you won't hate me for, at least find a good reason and not some vague ‘oh he’s so popular must be a jerk’ statements.

“Next off, I understand you feel left out. Second-years can be cruel, and I’ve seen people egg you on. But you can’t hate me for being nice, right? I’m trying my best too like you are. After all, I’m just a boy. Please, Ariana, get to know me before you judge me. Don’t you owe me that, at least?”

Ariana blushed furiously. She hadn’t thought of this before. Sure, she was too proud to admit that, but it was true. She only judged him based on how she saw him, without ever getting to know him at all. Only second-hand accounts, and well, the way he looked from afar. “Alright, you have a deal.” She whispered.

Riley cozied up in her chair, she was going to be here for a while.  She skimmed through the pages of her textbook, scribbling answers on the parchment, which was a hassle in itself.  She did not know what to expect at a new magic school, but it certainly wasn’t using parchment and quills when pens and paper existed.  Apparently, tradition beats functionality, who knew? The dimly lit library did her no favors, and soon enough her head started to throb in frustration.

A thump on the table broke her chain of thoughts. She looked up.  Reflexively, her muscles tensed.  She didn’t know what she expected to see, but it certainly wasn’t Malfoy sitting opposite to her, with a stack of books almost as tall as him.  She could practically sense the hostility radiating from herself into the atmosphere as she picked up the book in front of her face and scowled.

“You know, most people like to do it without hiding behind a book.”

“What? Read? I had no idea!”  Riley raised her eyebrows, feigning ignorance, “Besides, we don’t have to like each other to study at the same table. Or so I hope.

“I’ll be on my best behavior if you are,” Malfoy smirked. God, he made her skin crawl.  She knew better than to let slip them pranking him, or that she hated his pompous arse or her evident disinterest in the books he carried. She rolled her eyes and went back to reading her book. For all she knew, it would be uneventful.

She clenched her fists while reading over one sentence over and over again. It didn’t seem like she was getting a word in, though. She sat tight, reading over that one line compulsively when she started screaming. She trembled, falling onto the floor. She couldn’t hear Malfoy shouting for Madam Pince, or feel him helping carry her out to the hospital wing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, i did not see that coming (i might be writing these but the characters disagreed with me and basically narrated their own versions)


	4. L Is For Lying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariana and Lizzie have a talk with Riley about her health. An unsavory lesson leaves Riley with a taste for vengeance.

Riley waited anxiously for her friends to join her in their hideout. It looked pretty considering they had only a few weeks to clean and furnish the room. They had sneaked a table in from one of the abandoned classrooms, an air mattress Riley thought would be wise to carry, an old sack filled with cotton now working as a beanbag, and a heap of blankets from their dormitory being almost certain no one would miss them, and Hogwarts could afford some more. She smiled fondly but scared, knowing her friends would not be too happy about the recent fiasco. There were no dull moments around her, sure, but she didn’t know if they were okay with the whirlwind was her life.

She wasn't expecting Ariana and Lizzie to come running into the room, panting and gasping, with their robes dragging behind them. Even more so, she wasn’t expecting the resounding slap that hit her face.

“What were you thinking! You go off to the library to do god knows what and then you stay with Malfoy for whatever godforsaken reason and you end up in the hospital wing? There, of all places! You are officially banned from being out of our sights, ever.” Ariana gave Riley a death stare and Lizzie followed suit. They stood with their arms crossed, huffing, and tapped their feet.

“Okay, okay, I can explain--” Riley murmured, hunching over herself, “I might have overstrained myself you know, with school and a lot of extra studies and I’m kinda homesick, and I haven’t eaten in a few days, you know like you do--”

“No one does that.” Lizzie groaned, shaking her head, “For crying out loud, have you eaten anything at all in the last day?”

“Would you hit me if I said no?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

“You two! Stop bickering and here,” Ariana muttered, extending a handful of candy, “while this isn’t the most nutritious, it’ll keep you on your feet till supper. And don’t you dare pass out on us again.”

Riley raised her hand, “I swear I won’t.”

They sunk into the soft mattress, Riley lying on her back counting the spider webs that she should get around to cleaning. Ariana lay next to her, eating the candy faster than Riley could say, well, candy. Lizzie sat by the corner, picking up a tattered textbook. She slouched, dipping her quill in the pot of ink beside her.

But before she could write a word, Riley’s cat, miss Willow, ran over her parchment, spilling the ink all over. “That’s it! I’ve had it with you!” Lizzie glowered, picking up the cat and shoving her onto her owner. She let out a heavy sigh.

“Maybe if we weren’t forced to use quills and inkpots, this disaster could be avoided,” Riley mused, “that gives me an idea.”

“Not again--” her friends screeched in unison.

“Hear me out, okay? What if we sneak in pens and paper? I'm sure it’s not just us who hate these monstrosities--” Lizzie raised her eyebrows at Riley’s expression, “--and we can sell these! Imagine all the muggle things we can sell so that our life can finally be a little easier.”

“Dumbledore won’t allow it.”

“Why--Why does he hate us so much?” Riley moaned, “Alright, that'll be a sneaky operation then, sound good?”

“Not even remotely but if you’re jumping in the fire at least I should be there to make sure you’re okay”

“Yeah! And we can sell muggle toys and candy!” Ariana squealed. “Don’t get me wrong, wizard candy is all well and good but I would take snickers over Bartie Bott’s every flavor beans any day.”

Riley beamed, pushing herself up on her elbows, and pulled out a bag full of all the muggle things they were talking about. “So… business partners?”

"Can't believe I'm about to do this, but yes."

"Yes! Yes, all the way!"

\--

Potions were, as it always tended to be, horrible. Snape decided that bullying individual second-years was a tad bit out of fashion and for the added benefit of teaching Slytherins how to be master bullies partnered the class. And with the recent roll of misfortune that went with Riley everywhere, she ended up being partnered with, drumroll please, Mal-fucking-foy. Not that she cared, she had more than she could humanly deal with on her plate. Her thoughts briefly grazed over the recent nightmares, and the monsters she had left back home. She thought her options through: avoid trouble at all costs, don’t speak, play zombie if you will. Or get into yet another argument that inevitably ends in one of them ending in the hospital wing. Hmph. She was willing to take her chances.

“Are you trying to get us killed,” Malfoy hissed, “because if you are I suggest you get it right before my father hears about it.”

“Is there anything you can do without daddy’s help? Or approval? Hm? No? then focus on your potion before I break your nose.”

“I’m only looking out for you. You’re half-blood, not so far from us. Unlike those baboons, you call your friends.”

“Excuse me?”

“Those pathetic little mudbloods--”

The sound of Riley’s cauldron crashing to the floor cut him off. Before snape could intervene she landed a punch to Malfoy's nose.

“And for the eternal tardiness of miss Winchester, 50 points from Ravenclaw.” He grabbed Draco by his shoulders, and cutting off his whimpering, said behind a composed mask, “If someone here feels particularly adventurous and touches my vials while I’m gone, I’ll personally make sure Mr. filch makes you scrub every toilet in this castle.”

Lizzie and Ariana approached Riley as soon as Snape was out of the classroom. They knew their friend and she wouldn’t do something as rash without a good reason--wait she totally would. They shared a knowing look before asking Riley, “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Me? Sure. I’m peachy.” She half growled.

“Yes, because that’s the epitome of peachy.” Lizzie rolled her eyes, “you gonna tell us what’s up?”

“No, not really,” Riley huffed before storming out.

“Wait! No! Get back here!” Ariana raced behind her and dragged her by the hand back to their hideout. She had enough of her friend’s bullshit through the last few days and she’ll be damned before she let Riley do something dumb.

“You’re telling us what happened, or so help me god,” Ariana grumbled, panting hard after her little chase, “I’ll count to three.”

“No--”

“One.”

“I’m not saying one word.”

“Two.”

“Do you really want to find out what happens at three?” Lizzie pointed out, partly amused but mostly worried.

“Fine, fine--” Riley raised her hands in defeat, “I give up. He called you two mudbloods and I lost my calm. That’s what happened.”

Lizzie raised an eyebrow, “Did he, now?” She crossed her arms defensively, painfully aware of hundreds of years of discrimination.

“What’s a mudblood?” Ariana asked, confused.

“It’s a slur. For muggle-borns. Like you, or me.” Lizzie replied, her voice stone cold.

“wha-”

“Yes. And I plan to exact revenge. No one calls muggle-borns mudbloods on my watch.”

“But how? You’re a kid. And no one’s stupid enough to cross Malfoy.”

“Well, I have a plan.”


	5. A prank and a lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley follows through with her plan-- meaning, Draco is left to put out more than one fire.

The whomping willow had a certain air to it, almost like prey that is cornered by its predator. The glum fall weather exaggerated this feeling hanging in the air. Riley noticed how the air crackled seemingly charged by energy. It was fairly ordinary, with all the flora and fauna and the witches and wizards casting all the time, it’s a wonder how she managed to keep her head down, staying on the straight and narrow. The anxiety in the air snapped her out of the spiraling thoughts. The tree was too anxious for its own good, she thought, almost like someone she knew. She chuckled, wondering how Lizzie might react to learning Riley compared her to the willow. She checked her pocket watch impatiently. Lizzie and Ariana should be done right about now.

\--

“ _dear Draco,_

_Oh, how much I love you. Your pale blond hair and your snickering smile. All I want is to talk to you. Meet me at the whomping willow, today at 4?_

_Signed,_

_Xx”_

That was a rather odd note, Draco mused, could it be his admirer? He smirked. It definitely was a possibility. He was handsome, he was smart, and most of all, he could track his blood legacy 4 generations back without faltering. And a girl with a crush would be the perfect victim of his next prank, he snorted, imagining the scene. A rather nice way of spending the Friday afternoon, he decided. But what if he liked her back, he thought, what would he do then. There was Pansy, of course, but she could have told him in their common room. Who else could—he stopped in his tracks. Could it be Winchester? His frown turned upside down into a leering smile.

He made his way to the last class of the day, crooning a wizard’s lullaby.

\--

“Is it done?” Ariana jumped up and down in the corridor, attracting more than a few glances. She stopped as soon as she noticed, panting from the exertion. She had been jumping for hours in the Gryffindor tower, unable to contain her excitement otherwise.

“Yes,” Lizzie replied discreetly, “he fell for it. Gullibility is always a nice surprise in a bully.”

Ariana patted her robe, smoothening out the creases. Her mind ran a million miles an hour and she couldn’t form a coherent sentence. She switched between squealing and random noises, again attracting a few stares from passersby before Lizzie jabbed her to be more discreet. They strolled to the whomping willow, careful not to attract any attention towards them.

\--

Lizzie, Riley, and Ariana huddled close behind a bush, carefully out of the line of sight. They waited. Unaware of Riley's plans, Lizzie and Ariana tensed in their spot, scowling at their friend for keeping information away from them. After what seemed like an hour of tense waiting, a sauntering figure came up to the whomping willow—they recognized him by his gait: Malfoy. Now, Riley had the ball in her court. She sat, cross-legged on the grass, breathing deeply. Ariana, confused with whatever Riley was doing decided to poke her, but Lizzie stopped her midway.

Ever so slightly, the tree moved. It shouldn’t have. Draco stood nowhere near its branches— he was careful not to do anything to be attacked. His already pale skin drained of what little color it had. He started running in the opposite direction. Not that it helped him much. The tree got its hooks onto him, considering him a threat, and deciding to crush him forever. Lizzie and Ariana didn’t expect it either. They gawked at the tree, and then the boy, and finally their friend.

The whomping willow struck out. Its branches lashed and thrashed onto Draco, not letting him slip away. His screams were muffled by some firecrackers. He flailed his arms helplessly. He looked terrified, sheer adrenaline keeping him conscious. He kept calling out to someone, unfortunately, they were too far to hear who.

“Oh. My. God.” Lizzie thrust her hand to Ariana’s mouth, stifling her scream, “What—what is she doing?”

“Shut up. Whatever she does,” Lizzie whispered, “ she knows what limits to not cross. Right now, we can’t get caught, and that’s what matters. You hear me?”

Ariana nodded.

When the screams finally stopped, Riley noticed he was limp in the tree’s grasp. She composed herself.

_Stop. He’s not a threat anymore._

The willow replied its assent.

She ran to his side, her face creased with worry. Lizzie and Ariana followed her, joining her beside the boy who bullied them constantly. They were awe-struck by this new kind of magic Riley seemed to know but worried Malfoy might not make it alive. _What was the punishment for killing another student_ , Lizzie thought, _expulsion?_

Riley held on tight to Draco, slapping him awake.

“Nggh…”

“Malfoy- Malfoy can you hear me?” Riley shook him awake, “what were you doing so close to that tree! You know you could’ve died! Or worse! Who knows what the tree could do to you!”

“W-Winchester?” he mumbled, shaking in her arms. He let himself sink into her arms, unaware of where he was being dragged to. His eyes drooped before another smack hit him, and he screeched. He felt his arms put around a pair of shoulders, and he leaned on them.

“What happened to him?” Hermione was the first to spot them, and the first to let out a shriek at the bloodied state the poor boy was in, “What did you do?”

“We found him near the willow. Apparently, it doesn’t like pureblood supremacists.” Riley chuckled.

“Let us help,” Harry and Ron offered, taking Malfoy's weight on their shoulders.

“Who set off the firecrackers?” Ariana asked her housemates.

“Oh, a senior. Her name’s Krishna,” Hermione said, “but what are we going to do with him?”

“Take him to the hospital wing, of course.” Riley shuffled. “We can’t just leave him here no matter how awful he usually is.”

“I suppose we can’t,” harry agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sneak peak: Lizzie and Riley are planning a party. Can you guess the theme?


	6. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Ariana's birthday! How will they celebrate? Will things go right for them? Or will the party crash and burn?

“Come on,” Lizzie groaned, “tie it around your eyes already! You gotta trust Riley or your surprise would  be ruined . Do you want that?”

“Yes? I hate surprises. And the last time blindfolds  were involved , I broke my brother’s jaw.” Her breath hitched as soon as she mentioned her brother, but the pain in her face flitted away as fast as it appeared.  She smiled wider, almost overcompensating for her comment, and took the black cloth, tying it over her eyes . At least it was amusing, she thought. 

After a long walk from the corridors up the winding stairs, she stood outside what she could only assume was a room. It smelled of cinnamon and coffee, wherever she stood, and that was nice. She smiled a little, taking the smell in, and entered. 

“SURPRISE!” Lizzie and Riley shouted, along with another voice she didn’t quite recognize: or she did, all too well. She tugged at her blindfold, tearing it off, and looked around in awe. 

Their hideout had never looked more beautiful—purple and white fairy lights hung from the ceiling,  softly illuminating the room . Pink balloons were strewn all over the floor, leaving little place to step around. A huge sign hung on the single window of the room—decorated by wreaths of flowers that read AM. 

Ariana was  truly at a loss for words. She sputtered. “wha-how-who- my gosh!” 

Her breath hitched in her throat as she took the room in an arch of balloons that stood opposite to her, purple and black in color, gracing the cake underneath it . it was a rather plain cake, with a vibrant red frosting, and candies sticking out of it—muggle candy. The best kind. She squealed.  Ariana almost cried, before realizing she hadn’t said anything except a bunch of gibberish before . 

“This,” she choked, “this is so good.” 

“Anything for you,” Riley smiled  genuinely after ages, “you deserve it, Mills.” 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she twirled, and the bag in the corner caught her attention. “Is that for me?” Ariana skipped her way to the bag and pulled out a gorgeous black crop top with white frills and a white tulle skirt. She squealed, “how did you know my size!”

“Given the state of your dorm room and how much time I spent cleaning it last time,” Lizzie shuddered, “it’d be a miracle if I didn’t .”

She ran to change with the speed of a hurricane. Lizzie’s shoulders sagged when she was out of sight, and she stared  pointedly at Riley. 

“What did I do?” 

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you missing last night,” Lizzie snapped, “ and for both of our sakes I hope it wasn’t doing something  utterly idiotic or so help me, Merlin, I will throttle you right now .”

“Relax, would ya?” Riley plopped on the mattress and offered Lizzie a chocolate bar. It was her misguided attempt at a truce before Ariana came back and met her surprise guest. “I didn’t do anything stupid. Well, stupider than usual. And it’s better that you don’t know. Plausible deniability and all.”

Lizzie huffed, smacking Riley’s arm. “You. Better. Not. Get. Expelled. You. Idiot!”  Each smack landed hard on Riley’s arm, who decided it should be easier to bear through the pain than anger Lizzie more . 

“Hey there,” Ariana walked in, doing a little twirl to show off her new outfit. Her usual chipper but messy form now was graceful and poised. It must be the clothes, Lizzie and Riley exchanged glances, agreeing to an unspoken deal. 

“Oh, I didn’t know this room was here—” Cedric strolled into the room, “—ah, this is  certainly a nice surprise. Lockwood, Winchester, looking nice, and—” 

When his eyes fell on Ariana, he licked his lips. He stood at the door, gawking at the little beauty that strode in front of him. 

“Well, are you  just gonna stand here,” Ariana said  shyly , “get in, it’s a party!”

\--

Draco lay on his back, eyes fixed on the ceiling, battling against the sleep that made his eyelids heavy.  Think about anything but sleep, he tried to force the sleep out of him, but the darkness and the sick snoring of everyone else at the hospital wing did not help . He kept waiting.  Hopefully , it won’t be long.

“Here, the book I told you about,” Winchester’s voice brought him back. He had been expecting her for, who knows how long, he was  just glad she came.  Not letting his excitement show,  however , was key to his famous  effortlessly nonchalant attitude . He smirked.

“The lady of the hour returns,” he jeered, “careful, Winchester. Another visit and you might as well ask me out.” His laugh turned into a series of wracking coughs that hurt him to his ribcage. He stared at her dark hair, lying loose on her back, and an oversized shirt hugging her body. He was glad to have her visit, not that he’d ever tell her so, only mock her for her efforts. She held the book out for him, and with his one good hand, he tried to grab the book, failing and cursed himself.  Can’t even get a book,  he thought,  what can you do, you useless crap.

“Shut up.” Riley shoved the book into his face, “I’m sure you don’t wanna lose the only person who ever comes to visit. What’s up with your lackeys? They forget the way to the hospital wing  again ?” 

“They have someone new to suck up to,” he replied  wistfully , “not like we’re friends or anything.”

“Could've fooled me…” Riley trailed off. “It’s late. Get well soon so that I won’t have to keep sneaking in.” 

“No one asked you to.”

“That’s it,” she snapped, “I’m not coming back to meet you again!” she picked herself off the chair and started to storm off, but Draco grabbed her hand. Riley tugged, trying to pull away. With one good hand and quick reflexes, he pulled her back in, panting when their faces almost collided. It took more out of him than he thought it would. His hand slacked and Riley picked up the pace, storming out. 

\--

“Where were you?” Ariana said, fists balled, close to blowing up in Riley’s face. Lizzie looked at them, opened her mouth to add something, but closed it, deciding against it. Riley stared away from them, guilt pooling over her face. 

“I- it doesn’t concern you,” Riley retorted, rather unwilling to reveal anything, “and I  was worried about him.”

“Him, who?” Lizzie interjected, “Riley, you are going to tell us everything right now before I hex you—”

“I went to visit Malfoy, okay? I  was worried if we took it too far. That’s where I was last night too.”

“For Merlin’s sake, Winchester! You could’ve told me. You could’ve left a note. But no—”

“There’s more.” Riley stopped Lizzie before she could finish. “You’re right, both of you.”

“About what?”  Ariana looked at her  quizzically before rubbing her temples, “Riley, if you value us at all, even a minuscule amount, you’re going to tell us what’s going on . Especially with whatever you did there with the whomping willow…”

“So, you know I’m not from around here,” she continued, “and, the rumors about me are, well, partly true.  Not all students are aware of this but this is only one realm, in the sense, there are four more—almost like four different worlds . And I’m from one of them. And no, it doesn’t make me an alien. Truth is, the headmaster struck a deal with my family. We give him intel about our realm and he, well, he keeps me safe.”

At that, both of them raised their eyebrows. 

“Yes, something bad happened back home, people died, bad. And I had to run. I don’t wanna go into gory details but… it’s the monster—the beast. We never knew his name, his human name. He was from another realm, not that I understood what realms meant back when he came. He took control of our world… and of my family. I don’t know why.  Maybe we were like pets,  maybe I caught his fancy, who knows. He- he favored us.

“But that came with its own problems. The beast—he—he wanted to have me. I, I don’t know how to explain it, but it wasn’t good. Ma gave everything to protect me.  She’s the one who put up the wards around me, why energy always feels wonky when you’re around me—oh, right, you can’t feel energy like I do . 

“But that’s not what is wrong now… the wards are breaking. Every time something bad happens to me, a ward breaks. And I don’t know how far the beast is anymore. And I don’t know how to be friends with you and keep you safe. I—I can’t do it. If you’re with me, you’re in danger, and I don’t know how to push you away either.”

Riley collapsed on the mattress, her tiny body wracked with sobs. Ariana and Lizzie shared a look, kneeled beside her, and hugged her tight. 

“It’s okay, we’ll figure it out,” Lizzie soothed her, “we’re smart and we have the professors to help us. You’ll—no—we’ll be okay.”

“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Ariana pouted, “We could’ve helped you out if we knew.” 

With a big group hug, and more tears spilled, they left their hideout. 

The sight that greeted them in the corridors stopped them from moving. 

“The chamber of secrets has  been opened . Enemies of the heir, beware.” 


	7. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie and Ariana run into Malfoy. Riley's wards are breaking-- how long till disaster strikes?

By the time they returned to their dorms, news of Mrs. Norris  being petrified had reached almost all students, save the ones who never left their books . 

“Do you think it’s the—” Terry Boot whispered, “—the real heir?” 

“I’m pretty sure no fake heir would write something that cute on the wall.” Riley rolled her eyes, huffing at him. “And what do you even mean by the heir?” 

“Wait, you  really don’t know?” Lizzie cut in before he could reply. Cho rubbed her temples and motioned towards Lizzie. She continued. “The heir means the heir of Slytherin.  Apparently , Salazar Slytherin, found it rather insulting that the other three would let students in  purely based on their talents and not focus on  lineage . So what if they were great at their craft. Anyway, before he left Hogwarts, rumor has it, he built a chamber of sorts. And it can only  be opened by Slytherin’s true heir.

“A load of crap if you ask me,” she sighed, flopping down on the couch, “he’s too shrewd to leave it to chance that his heir would end up here .”

Riley tried hard not to let her mind sway towards thoughts about the beast—this heir, whoever it was, sounded a lot like him—she shuddered at the thought, the ground swaying beneath her feet .  Might be better to  just sleep now , she thought, “I’m gonna go to sleep now. I’m gonna ask the follow-up questions tomorrow.”

\--

Lizzie kicked a stray stone in her path, muscles tensing as her eyes grazed on Ariana, ever the ray of sunshine. She knew the muggle-borns were in the direct line of danger, but should she tell Ariana that? She couldn’t  possibly decide.  They were walking to potions class, falling into a comfortable silence beside each other . Except, the feeling in their gut lurked. When they reached the door of the hospital wing, an unpleasant situation greeted them. 

“Fancy seeing you here,” Malfoy said, snickering. “I thought you’d be the first two to drop out after the news about the heir. Oh, right. You don’t even know who that is, do you?”

“Malfoy.” Lizzie gritted her teeth. “Nice to see that you’re doing better. I’m sure we can go our separate ways  civilly . I would hate to send you back to where you  just came from.” 

“And the dog barks,” he smirked, “does it bite too?”

“Oh no you did not—” Ariana flipped her wand, too angry to worry about the consequences, “—you take that right back, or I’m going to make you puke slugs for weeks !”

“And make your dear little friend come visit me more often?” his tone taunting, “hope I’m not ruining her  surprise for you two! Now that she  just can’t keep herself away from me—”

Eyes blazing, Lizzie walked up in front of him, jabbing a finger to his chest. “You,” she growled, “walk away right now before I rip you a new one.” 

“Oh,  oh, ” Draco mocked, “We’re  so  scared, aren’t we, Goyle? We’re  practically shivering. Anyway, it’ll be good riddance once it attacks you,  mudblood. ”

Lizzie’s urge to hex him was too strong to control and she waved her wand in his nose. But before the bully could react, Ariana pulled her away. “They’re not worth it, Liz. Let’s  just go.”

“Yeah, you better run away—” they heard him call out, moving up the stairs to class.

\--

“I’m telling you Rie,” Ariana exaggerated her words, flapping her arms, “it’s Malfoy. He’s the heir. He  practically threatened to sic that…  that thing  on us!”

Riley flipped the page back, sighing. If only she could find somewhere no one would come to find her. she bit her lip and spoke. “Or it’s a prank. Or another student. Or a teacher.  Maybe it’s Snape. Don’t you think that’ll make more sense?”

“But—”

“You’re  just angry because he’s a bully. You can’t exactly put this on him. We landed him in the hospital wing. He was there when  all of this went down.” 

“So you’re telling me,” Lizzie pinched the bridge of her nose, “that it couldn’t have been him because he was in the hospital wing ? Where you visited him? Like his cronies? Who could have been working on his commands? If you think he can’t be the heir because he was in the hospital wing, well, you’re wrong.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Riley huffed. 

She shuffled her feet before standing up, gathering her books. She was too tired to care anymore who, or what, the heir was. Not that she didn’t worry about her friends—being muggle-borns meant they would be in danger. Except, she couldn’t find one ounce of energy to do anything. All she wanted to do was crash on the floor which seemed to sway under her feet  constantly since the last night. 

“You know, whatever. It doesn’t matter. I’m gonna crash.”

She went up to her dorm. 

“Did she really just say it didn’t matter…” Ariana mumbled, “do you agree with her, Liz?”

“No, no I do not. If she can’t find it in her heart to care about us, we can’t help it. But I’m with you about Malfoy.  Maybe we should go check things out later tonight.” 

“What? But—”

“You think it’s only Rie who can sneak out?”


	8. Callings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariana and Lizzie learn more about Riley's magic and her life.

_“Dear diary,_

_It’s been a while since they found another student petrified, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s him. I want to be sure, but what can I do against him when my wards are failing? I need to make sure he’s away for good. And my friends—”_

“Why are you studying so early in the morning?” Ariana poked her head into Riley’s dorm, pouting. Riley sighed, smiling despite the lines that creased her forehead. “My mom always said your face would get stuck if you frown so much, and you shouldn’t take the chance Rie! C’mon!”

“Yes, yes,” she chuckled, “you wouldn’t have it any other way, would you? And is that candy—” Riley snatched a handful of wrappers from Arianna’s pocket and groaned, “—Merlin only knows how we’re going to deal with you high on candy _again_. Isn’t that right, Lizzie?”

“Hey! I’m not that bad,” Ariana glared, “And besides, I had an amazing thing planned today.”

“And what, pray to tell,” Lizzie breathed loudly, “does your plan involve? Because if it’s more candy then I have to physically restrain you and that’s never good.” She shuddered, remembering the last time Ariana was high on sugar.

“Well, I was up all night thinking about something fun to do because, well, things are too sad right now and I hate being sad. You know what happens when I’m sad? I become a zombie and you know what’s not good? When I become a zombie.

“Anyway. Zombies aren’t fun, but you know what is? Your kind of magic, Riley! And guess who you can teach it to! That’s right, us! And no Lizzie don’t give me the look you’re doing it with me or I will hug you so tight you’ll choke to death.”

“So let me get this straight,” Riley rubbed her temples, brows tense, “you want me, a kid, to teach you, another kid, unauthorized magic, because you thought it’ll be ‘fun’? I don’t even know if my magic would work the same way with the two of you. And what if I mess up and another ward fails, what if—”

“If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas,” Lizzie stopped her from spiraling, “besides, don’t tell me you aren’t half as curious like me to know what would happen.”

“Alright, fine.” Riley huffed. “Meet me in an hour at the hideout.”

\--

The lazy autumn afternoon was about to be filled with—well, Lizzie didn’t know what to expect. No matter how much research she put in, she couldn’t find anything that proved Riley’s ridiculous story. She wanted to believe her, of course, she did, except how outlandish it had sounded. Lost in her thoughts, she missed a step and stumbled into a tall Gryffindor—“I’m sorry!”

“ ‘s all cool.” Her voice was smooth, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it honeyed. Lizzie stole a glance at her face, her glassy mahogany skin radiating warmth. She looked down at her feet, acutely aware of the Gryffindor’s presence, and walked around her.

“—Oi, Krishna!” a voice called out to the Gryffindor. 

Lizzie turned her head at the name—wasn’t she the one lighting fireworks during their prank? Shaking her thoughts off, she walked towards their hideout.

“You’re late—” Ariana ran to her and jumped into a bear hug “—and I’m mad at you but this is so exciting!”

“What’s all this?” She raised her eyebrows at her surroundings.

Nine pedestals stood in a semi-circle. Each one holding bowls… of something? She moved closer. Gawking, she reached her fingers towards a seemingly empty bowl.

“Nuh-uh! I won’t do that if I were you!” Riley smacked her hand away. She looked strange, with a large glass pendant around her neck, and wore stranger robes. Her forehead slick with sweat, she reached out a hand for Lizzie to take. She hesitated before slipping her hand into hers. Whatever she did, she seemed pretty sure of herself and Lizzie trusted her, well, for now.

“Alright, so, here’s the deal. I’m gonna say some spells and you’ll walk around the room while I do it so we can check if any of the elements get activated when you’re walking around them. The calling’s strength will depend on how strong your own powers are and it'll determine which attunement you fall under. There’s air, water, metal, earth, fire, life, sun, moon, and time.

“I won’t go into more details to bore you but basically whichever element chooses you is your attunement or your calling. It literally translates to you can control those elements to some extent, and perform certain kinds of magic that others can’t. For example, I can manipulate living things. Like I did with the whomping willow—convincing it that Draco was an enemy. I can heal any living being too. But that’s usually more complicated because—wait, are you still with me, Aria?”

“I think so,” she said, but her face revealed otherwise.

“I think it’s better if you just go for it. That’ll be kind of self-explanatory. Or so I hope.”

“I wanna go first!” Ariana jumped into the circle, skipping around.

“Not so fast,” Riley frowned, taking a roll of parchment, she started to read the writing out loud in a tongue that Lizzie had never heard before. Her voice rang loud and clear as Ariana circled the bowls—waiting for something -anything- to happen.

They didn’t notice it at first. Ariana didn’t either. The sun’s rays pouring into the room swirled around her, calling to her, caressing her fingertips. Ariana didn’t know what to do. She raised her fingers. Sunlight bent through the gaps, creating pools of rays in the air. She continued to move, light twirling around her body. It wasn’t before she crossed the bowl filled with water that she stopped. A stream of water joined the sunshine, entwining around her, sparkling. They gasped. A rainbow formed on top of Ariana. Her mouth fell open.

“W-wow! What does this mean!”

“That your calling elements are water and sun. That’s pretty lucky,” Riley said wistfully, “being aligned to the sun comes with a lot of perks.”

“Oh! That sounds amazing! What perks! What do I get—”

“For now? You get to shut up and let Lizzie find her calling.” Riley stopped her excitement and sternly dragged her out of the circle.

“It’s your turn now,” she smiled, “c’mon.”

It didn’t take Lizzie to come close to the bowls before the winds picked up the pace, blowing across the room with reckless abandon. Breaking a bowl, the wind settled. The bowl that broke held metal: metal which had now melted. And beaten, it appeared. A dagger forged. Lizzie stood, breathless.

“W-What does that mean?” She whispered, knuckles white from clenching her fists too hard, trying hard to maintain an image of calm.

“Your calling’s wind and metal. That’s a bit unconventional… usually, they’re at odds, but it kinda makes sense about you…”

\--

If only Ariana knew why her mind kept wandering off to the Hufflepuff boy, why she wanted to talk to him more and more, why she yearned for his company, she would have cut that part off from her existence. But being around him gave her butterflies, made her queasy… but in a good way. Was this what it felt like to have a crush? No, definitely not. And why would she have a crush on him? Him, of all people, who she butted heads with and who… who was probably the most handsome guy she knew.

Shaking off the thoughts, she walked up to Diggory and smiled. “I believe we were supposed to ‘hang’, as you had quite eloquently expressed the last time. Are you free right now?”

“I’m sorry, miss Gryffindor. But I’m a little busy right now. Maybe come back in an hour?”

What nerve! He asked her to come back after an hour, to wait for him to be free! He should be glad she liked him enough to start a friendship. Would all those fangirls of his ever hold a light against her? Never!

“It’s fine. We can always meet later.” She gritted her teeth and turned around to run right into Riley.

“Whoa—” she raised her eyebrows, scowling, “—you could slow down, you know?”

“Why don’t you walk with me?” Ariana maintained her smile, tugging Riley away from the Hufflepuff. She groaned as soon as they were out of earshot.

“You gonna tell me what’s up with that?”

“I don’t really want to—” Ariana pouted, scratching her ear, “—but I guess an outside opinion won’t hurt… I think I might have a crush.”

“On Diggory? Almost the entire school does.”

“Well, you don’t.”

“Yeah, but I’m like a scientific anomaly.” Riley chuckled.

“No, you’re not. You just have eyes for a certain blond.”

“How many times do I gotta tell y’all, the only reason I hung out with him was that I felt sorry for him—” Riley threw her hands up in the air, “—and not because of a non-existent crush for Merlin’s sake. The chances of me having a crush on Malfoy is the same as the chance of Lizzie flying like a pro.”

“I never said it was Malfoy, you know…” Ariana smirked at Riley’s slip-up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry it took me this long to finally finish writing this chapter but a lot of work and even more insanity went through the last few days. thanks for being so patient with me. love you guys.


End file.
